Frozen
by ghostwriter1341
Summary: Yui Kagami is the timid and quiet counterpart of her popular sister, Mao. Too scared to use her forbidden powers, she cloisters herself away. When her sister gets kidnapped, she'll need help from complete strangers, one of whom she thought was just an ordinary classmate. This icy force, both foul and fair, has a frozen heart worth mining. Warning: Not a crossover!
1. Chapter 1

"_Do you wanna build a snowman?"_

_The December wind felt so natural against her skin, Yui couldn't help but stand there, feeling it against her cheeks. It didn't hurt. It felt familiar somehow. She was so busy being wrapped up in feeling the wind that she hardly heard her twin sister calling out to her._

"_Do you wanna build a snowman?"_

_Yui felt a tug on her coat. She turned and saw Mao pulling at her sleeve._

"_Come on! Let's go play!"_

_Yui nodded, allowing Mao pull on her sleeve, dragging her through the wide, open field of snow. The world was white. Snowflakes drifted down, slowly. The snow on the ground reached almost to their knees. Yui could feel it seeping into her boots and drenching her socks. They drew closer and closer to the top of the highest hill Mao spotted. When they reached its peak, her sister released her coat. Mao got down on her knees and started rolling up a ball of snow._

"_Mao, be careful. You'll fall!"_

"_And what? Land in some snow?" Mao laughed._

_She continued to pile on more snow until she had a sphere as big as a tree stump. With all her might, she pushed it down the hill. They both watched as the snowball curled down the hillside, gathering more snow, until it landed at the very bottom. Mao was the first to run down the slope, her sister following close behind. Working together, the snowball was planted firmly at the base of the hill. _

"_Now we just have to build the rest of him." Mao started back up the hill to roll another snowball down the slope. _

_Looking around, finding nothing but the vast white hills surrounding them, Yui peeled off the mittens from her hands. _

"_I have a better idea." She thrust out her small arms, pale hands against the cold wind. _

_By power of her alone, snow spiraled upwards from the ground, swirling in a mesmerizing dance. The clouds of silver and white floated in the air. Large snowflakes glittered like diamonds as Yui worked her magic. Mao ran up to her, watching her sister slowly form the rest of the snowman's body. The swirling clouds solidified into evenly spheres without a trace of dirt or rocks. _

"_Wow!" Mao whispered. _

_Yui finished the snowman with just a wave of her hands. She brushed a lock of white hair out of her face. She smiled back her sister, though she secretly wondered why her twin sister wasn't able to do it too. _

"_He's perfect!" Mao exclaimed. _

"_Not quiet." A thin pale hand rested on their shoulders. "I think he needs something." _

"_Daddy!" The twins yelled, snuggled their faces against his silver kimono. _

_Their arms strong arms wrapped around them both, seemingly stopping the cold wind from blowing. He waved just one hand, and an invisible finger drew a smile, a nose, and a pair of eyes in the snowman's head. Ice crystalized on either side of the torso, forming the arms. All three looked at the snowman, but there was still something missing. _

"_I know." He snapped his fingers. _

_Three more miniature tornadoes of snow spiraled next to the snowman. In a matter of minutes, there was a whole family of snowmen, standing side by side. _

"_Now he has a family," he gave his girls a big hug. _

_For just a moment, everything was right with the world. But sadly this was a dream, a memory from long ago. _

Yui woke up to a sharp snap of a pillow bouncing off her skull.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty. Time for school." Mao changed for the worse. "You know it takes longer for you to get ready because you have to put on the stupid wig."

They were identical twins, yes, but Mao had been blessed with long dark tresses while her sister had hair white as snow. Seven bottles of dye wasn't enough to keep it dark. Not only was it expensive, it was also ineffective. It was cheaper and easier to wear a wig whenever Yui went out in public, which was pretty much all the time.

"Sorry," she mumbled pensively, crawling herself out of bed.

Mao rolled her eyes. She grabbed their magenta uniforms and tossed one over to her sister. The fabric hit Yui square in the face, but her sister showed little remorse. The apology was more or less out of habit rather than with any actual compunction. Yui took the uniform, folded it neatly in her arms, and began walking towards the bathroom where she usually changed. She dreaded looking at the mirror like she did every morning. Compared to her sister, who was tall, tan, and beautiful, Yui looked like nothing more than a snow queen. Her long white hair reached her hips, although her eyebrows were black not unlike her sister's. She was thin while Mao was certainly more athletic. Her arms were twigs dangling off her shoulders and her legs were nothing but pocky sticks. Her skin was looked and felt as ice, pale, cold, and clammy. Was it any surprise why the boys chased Mao and stirred clear of Yui?

She tore her eyes away from the mirror, shedding her night clothes one by one. They landed in a pile on the bathroom floor to be picked up when she was finished getting dressed. Black tights always suited her best. They covered the fact that her legs were so very pale. Pulling her hair out from the uniform's blouse, Yui picked up her brush and a hair tie. The white hair may have been unusual but it was pretty to look at and easy to brush. Yui ran the brush through her hair until it became smooth. Tying it up in a messy bun almost at the top of her head, she reached for the black wig hanging by a pair of clothes pins and some string on the wall. The wig cap was nestled neatly inside. It was stretched over her head, being careful not to let the brim of it fall too far down her forehead. With the wig cap safely snug around her scalp, Yui put on her wig.

Mao knocked on the bathroom door, "Are you almost done in there?"

"Almost." She could hear her sister sigh impatiently.

She quickly straightened out her wig so that the strands fell evenly over her shoulders and the bangs were correctly positioned.

The door opened without any further prompting, and Yui found herself being gently pushed out. Mrs. Kagami, their mother, could only smile. Yui brushed past her.

"She's not a morning person." It was the oldest and lamest excuse in the book and neither one of them believed it. It just felt more comfortable to say than the truth.

"I know, mom." She went to wait outside the front door while Mao made herself look pretty.

Yui forced her hands inside the special black leather gloves to keep, but the weather was hot. It wasn't something she liked to do. Her palms and fingers would get sticky with sweat very fast, not to mention the odd looks she would receive. Every day she would have to lie about her gloves. It wasn't a matter of germs or a skin condition. She was afraid of her own power, and Mao didn't help matters either.

"Alright, let's go." Mao barked as she marched out of the door.

Mrs. Kagami stood in the doorway, smiling her bittersweet smile as they left.

"Be safe! Watch out for each other!"

"We know, mom!" Mao shouted back.

When they were well out of sight, Mao sped up ahead of Yui. Her twin lagged behind on purpose. This was how it was and how it would always be.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Frozen, even though I don't think I have to say that because this isn't even a cross-over. All it has in common with the movie is the title and the female character happens to have ice powers, but whatever. Also, I need help deciding Yui's love interest, you know, when the plot really starts to thicken, and maybe for Mao, but right now it's difficult to figure out which one is the real Ice Queen.

* * *

"Yui, would you mind solving the problem on the board?"

"Yes, sir." She stood up and marched up to the chalk board. She could feel the judging eyes staring at the back of her head.

Yui ignored that familiar sensation and focused on solving the math problem Mr. Yukimura drew up on the board. Her hands had difficulty holding onto the piece of chalk; the pieces of leather restrained some of the most basic movements in her fingers.

"You could take those off," Mr. Yukimura suggested.

"I'd rather not," she snapped, unusually out of character, before turning back to the board.

She stared at the numbers for the longest time. Her brows scrunched as she silently calculated the answer. In a short while, the room was filled with nothing but the sound of her scratching the chalk onto the board in a hurried fashion. When done, she brushed off the white dust and quickly went back to her desk. There were whispers behind, but she couldn't tell if she was just hearing things or if it was just the usual gossip.  
"X is equal ninety-eight. Good job." The teacher congratulated her.

"Thank you, sir."

The bell rang, signaling the end of that period.

"I want to have your homework completed by tomorrow. All fifty questions done and on my desk. I don't take make-up work."

Students, who barely heard his instructions, were already heading out the door, voices streaming needless and unimportant conversations. Mr. Yukimura noticed that the last student gathering her things was once again Yui Kagami. First to arrive and the last to leave. Mao may have been popular among their peers, but Yui had something her sister didn't, a brilliant mind. Though she ranked only third, her abilities were well above average. He had a theory that she was much smarter than she let others believe. Looking over test scores and then at her homework, which she never got a question wrong, something didn't add up right. He believed that she missed one or two questions on purpose. Gifted though she was, Yui didn't have friends. It seemed that she preferred being alone.

"Yui, can I talk to you for minute?"

Startled, Yui looked around the room. It looked like she was trying to find an excuse to leave, but when she couldn't come up with one; she walked over to her teacher anyway.

"Yes sir?" Her fingers twitched and tensed around the handle on her school bag.

"I have been meaning to talk to you about something," he walked behind his desk and opened one of the drawers. He pulled out a couple of sheets of paper. "I've noticed that you're doing very well on your homework, but when it comes to tests, you seem to miss some pretty easy questions."

He aligned the papers on his desk. One was a sheet of homework questions with a perfect score; the sheet sitting next to it was a test they took last week with a ninety-seven out of a hundred.

"Do you miss questions on purpose, Yui? Because when I look at your homework, I don't see any mistakes, but then you take a test, and you veer off in another direction. Your test scores are good; however I can't help but think that you dumb yourself down. Is this true?"

Yui shook her head vigorously. "Why would I? I have no reason to miss questions. I get test anxiety. That's all."

"Are you sure?" He looked at the sheets on his desk and then back at her.

She nodded her head.

He sighed, however he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with her. Yui Kagami was so reserved she hardly ever talked to her own twin sister at school. It did beg the question why the girl was so reserved and anti-social. It was rather unsettling actually.

"May I go now?" She asked.

"Sure." Mr. Yukimura waved her off.

Yui didn't hesitate to scurry off to her next class. As a teacher, he wanted to help her. She had such potential, if only she'd get herself out. The girl was so timid, he doubted anyone would be able to get close enough and make her realize that she shouldn't hide her abilities. It was a darn shame to do this to herself.

* * *

Yui tended to keep her head down when she walked. There was no particular reason except to keep others away and ignore the wondering eyes as she passed. She would be forever known as Mao's weird sister. She would pretend that their words didn't hurt her. They did.

"Look, look, here she comes." One of Mao's friends, Ruka, whispered to the other friend, Miyumi.

"She's so pale. She looks like a Snow Maiden."

"It's kind of creepy." Ruka chuckled. "Is she trying to scare people?"

"Probably doesn't even go outside. Like a vampire."

"Does she think she's a vampire?"

"Who knows? Probably!" The two girls laughed thinking that Yui couldn't hear them.

A lot of people thought that she couldn't hear them. An English writer once wrote, 'The observer often sees more of the game than the players,' or something along those lines. It had been a while since she picked up "The Castle of Otranto." Yui was shy on her best of days and utterly and completely anti-social and gloomy on her worst. Today was somewhere in between. The dream she had just before Mao woke her up from school only made her depressed. She missed her dad, the only person who could have perfectly understood what she was going through. Her mother tried her best, but it wasn't the same. Mao was insufferable, always blaming her sister for their dad's disappearance. It's true. He vanished without a trace and they were forced to move south, much to Mao's displeasure. She didn't like change very much.

Yui shuffled her feet, staring at the floor. Her peers made way for her like she was passing through the Dead Sea. She didn't have to look up in order to see the blank faces and eyes staring at her. Most of them chose not to say anything, some gossiped. The school freak show usually was the only source of entertainment. Meiou High School didn't have too many problems. It was a rather elite school. Did it have a couple of bad apples, maybe one or two, but the school housed mostly students who were generally considered well-bred, studious, and helpful to the community. When Yui walked down the hall, she instantly became the source of most of the gossip, even if most of it wasn't true. They never knew about her hair or why she wore gloves all the time. That was open to interpretation. Children and teenagers could be very cruel.

She was so busy minding her own business and trying to shut out the voices whispering behind her back, Yui failed to notice the gentleman right in front of her. Only to realize it when it was too late, she rammed face person to the student's chest before landing backwards on her behind. She groaned and blinked, blushing when the whispering voices became a chorus of laughter.

"Are you alright?"

Surprised, Yui found a hand held out to her. Raising her eyes upwards, her blush deepened in color. Warmth rose in her cheeks.

_Shuichi Minamino._

Shuichi Minamino was offering her his hand.

"I-I'm fine. Thank you." Yui looked away, but took his hand any way. "I-I'm sorry about running into you. I-I wasn't watching where was going."

"You should be more careful."

He wasn't trying to sound like a condescending jerk. Far from it. Shuichi was actually trying to be nice, something only her mother did. She turned to glance over her shoulder, feeling a heated glare boring down on her. Mao's friends were jealous and angry; they didn't bother to hide it. Yui picked up her bag from the floor, kneeling rather than bending over to get it.

"I-I need to get to m-my next class. Excuse me." She ran past him, shoulders brushing.

Yui ran, though she could still hear the laughter and feel Ruka's and Miyumi's glares in the back of her skull. She took her seat at the back of the class. Her hands and legs wouldn't stop shaking. Mao entered the room, her friends walking behind her like her troop. Mao glared at her sister who could only look down at her desk and clamp her hands together.

"So I heard you just bumped into Shuichi Minamino." Mao's hand slammed on top of Yui's desk. "Did you know that I liked him?"

"No," Yui shook her head, "of course I didn't. I just bumped into him that's all."

"Good," but Mao still seemed less than pleased with her answer. She spun on her heel quickly followed by her pack.

Yui felt like crawling into a hole. This day kept getting better and better, sarcasm.

Mao breathed deeply. She walked up to him as he was busy packing his books away.

* * *

"Shuichi-kun, can I have a minute of your time?"

He turned his head to her, his gorgeous green eyes looking her way, causing Mao to blush slightly. He nodded and smiled politely. Mao began to play with her thumbs which she hid behind her back as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her heels.

"I was just wondering if you had plans for this Saturday. I understand that you get very busy, but I was kind of hoping you'd at least have lunch with me."

"What about your sister?"

Mao shrugged, confused. "What about her?"

"It's nothing. It's just," he paused, "it seems odd that you'd rather ridicule your own sister than help her. Being so introverted as she is, it can't be good for her emotional well-being."

"It's just the way she is." Mao was now more confused than she was nervous. What did Yui say to him? "And I don't _ridicule_ my sister. She's just a very easy target for the other girls to pick on."

"And you do nothing in your power to stop them?"

She opened her mouth in rebuttal, but then lost all hope of answering when she couldn't come up with a good excuse. Mao closed her mouth slowly, and looked away.

"I think I can spare some time this Saturday." Mao's face instantly lit up, for just a second before Shuichi gave his ultimatum. "If you bring your sister."

"My sister?" Mao repeated in disbelief.

"Yes," he finished packing his books and lifted the bag from the bench he rested it on. "Unlike you and some other people, your sister's condition worries me. It's unhealthy."

Mao breathed through her nose sharply.

"Sure, I'll bring her. If you can bring somebody for her." It was doubtful.

"Agreed." He wrote something down on a scrap piece of paper. "Here's my number. Call me when and where you want to meet up."

Mao practically snatched the paper out of his hand.

"Thank you, Shuichi-kun. I will."

Shuichi and Mao parted ways. She stuffed the paper into her bag, annoyed.

_How do I convince Yui to go out Saturday? Maybe if I don't tell her and bring her without her knowing she can't possibly refuse! _

Mao resolved not to tell Yui her plans, thinking that her sister could no way refuse the offer of a double date when she goes into the restaurant and meets the other guy. Yui may have been shy and timid, but there was no way she'd run away with the strict rule of politeness she kept herself under. Mao greedily smiled and went to find her sister so that they could walk home together.


	3. Chapter 3

"Could you repeat that, Kurama?" Yusuke gave his friend a bewildered sort of look with a healthy dose of 'what are you smoking and where can I get some?'

Yusuke didn't usually Kurama on a regular basis. He was elusive as he was smart. To be honest, Yusuke didn't really know that much about Kurama, the specifics of his personal life, for example, were mostly a big mystery. Except for caring for his human mother and maybe gardening, Yusuke didn't picture his friend to be the outgoing type, at least when it came to hobbies and such. It was a big surprise, more like a bombshell, when he appeared out of nowhere at Yusuke's school, looking for a favor of all things.

"I need someone to come with me on a lunch date."

"Um, okay?"

"You see there is a girl from my school…"

Yusuke laughed. "A girl? I didn't think you'd be the kind of guy who has trouble with girls. If anything, you're more busy chasing them off than chasing after them."

"You misunderstand me, Yusuke. I wish you could be serious for a few minutes." Kurama sighed impatiently.

"Alright," folded his arms across his chest, "what's this about."

"Thank you," he appreciated his friend's sense of respect. "I have noticed for some time now this particular student who goes to my school. She's extremely introverted and anti-social, more so than the average teenage girl going through an 'awkward phase,' if you will. I didn't really pay much attention to her until she ran into me earlier today. When she brushed against me, she was cold as ice."

"And?" Yusuke shrugged his shoulders. He failed to see what was so special.

"No, no." He paused. "I'm not speaking in metaphors. This girl, she was literally cold as ice. Her body temperature was well below average, much, much lower than average."

"Do you think she's sick or something?"

Kurama shook his head. "No, it's not a physical ailment that worries me. I have come to the conclusion that something is a miss."

"What? Is she possessed or something?"

Kurama shrugged. He managed to surprise himself by not being able to answer the question with a solid answer.

"I'm not sure, which is why I need to figure it out for myself."

"Otherwise it will bother you until you do."

"More or less."

Yusuke sighed, resigning himself to this strange favor. He pushed himself away from the brick wall he had been leaning against during their whole conversation.

"But don't tell Keiko." Yusuke warned.

* * *

Saturday

Yui sat at her desk brushing her hair, her real hair, slowly. Her eyes avoided the mirror as best as she could, not wanting to look at the deathly pale skin, white hair, and blue eyes that stared back at her. Mao was busy doing something in her room; they stopped sharing rooms when they were in middle school. It was better that way. Mao's radio was turned up so loud that it thrummed against Yui's wall. Yui wanted to knock on her door and tell her to turn the volume down, but she hesitated and stopped herself from doing just that for some reason.

Finally, she put the brush down. Instead of looking at her reflection, Yui directed her eyes towards the pictures taped round about the mirror's surface. They were just some family photos, from before things fell apart at the seams, and some pictures of architectural design and famous figure skaters. Nobunari Oda and Mao Asada were side by side, smiling. It was still September; the Sochi Winter Olympics were still months away. In the figure skating circles, rumors had it that the Americans had an extraordinary team, but Yui was more than confident that Nobunari could squash them easily.

"Yui?" Mao knocked on her door. "Can I come in?"

It had been a very long time since Mao asked to enter her room. Yui stood from her chair and went to her bookcase.

"Sure," she answered even as she looked over the titles of books neatly lined along the shelves.

The door opened with a soft creak. Mao's footsteps were soft as she entered, and then closed the door behind her.

"What do you need?" Yui pretended to still be perusing her books.

"Do you want to get lunch?"

Without looking back at her sister, "I think mom left some soup in the cabinets."

Mao laughed. "No, silly. _Go_ _out _and get lunch. My treat!"

Yui shook her head. "I-I don't know. You know how I am with people."

"It'll be good for you!"

Yui could sense that there was something more on her sister's mind than just food.

"I'd much rather read one of my books during the break, but thank you, Mao."

She felt Mao's hands grab her arm, tugging on them gently like she was a little child again.

"Please," Mao whined, "I want to apologize for what I did and said yesterday. I hardly ever see you anymore. You don't leave your room very often. Come on!"

"I…"

"Please," she whined, pouting, "I'll buy you one of those veggie burgers you like so much."

Yui turned to see nothing but her sister's quivering lower lip. She somehow learned the ability to make her eyes appear larger than they really were, and thus hardly anyone could resist Mao's 'puppy-dog' face.

"Oh, alright. Let me clean up first."

"Yay!" Mao wrapped her arms around Yui's torso and squeezed her tightly until she thought she was going to pop. "Thank you so much!" She let go of Yui and sprint for the door, accidently slamming it shut behind her.

It seemed rather odd how Mao was so excited about a lunch date between sisters. Over the past few years, Mao had nothing but ignore Yui on a regular basis, except when she needed help on some homework. They lived in separate rooms and separate lives. Yui went to her desk, grabbing a hair tie. Brushing her fingers through her hair, she tied it all up in a messy bun which was flattened by the wig cap. She looked down at her clothes, a long-sleeved shirt splattered with blue and white paint and dark jeans. She supposed she could try to look a little nicer for her sister's sake. Walking to her small closet, which wasn't even filled to capacity, Yui rummaged through her things, in search for something nice to wear, however she was unsure of what to put on. Mao hadn't asked her to hang out since they were kids.

An icy arrow seemed to cut deep into Yui's heart. There were things her sister didn't remember, but Yui did.

She quickly shook off this feeling, burying it deep inside once more. Focused on her task, Yui continued in her search for a good outfit. Eventually, she pulled out a white peasant blouse, and knee-length black sundress, and white tights. These were placed on the bed in a tidy fashion before Yui took off the clothes she was wearing. She put on the tights first, then the blouse, and the black dress on last. The sundress had an empire waist-line; supposedly it was good for Yui's figure. The skirt flared down from her bust line, hiding her incredibly small waist underneath the soft black material.

Her black wig rested on a Styrofoam head in the corner of the room. She took it from its resting place, and placed it on her head. The brush was run through the wig, carefully. With a few adjustments here and there, Yui finished by putting a white satin headband over her wig, and before she left her room, she grabbed a pair of black Mary-Jane's to complete the look as well as her black gloves.

She found Mao waiting on the porch, as usual. Yui barely had time to put on her shoes before Mao grabbed her arm again and pulled her in the direction of the nearest bus stop.

"Where are we going?" Yui asked.

"You'll see," Mao answered, full of cheer.

When the bus arrived, Mao paid for both of their fares. As they sat down, being surprisingly vacant for that time of the day it was easy finding a seat, Yui pulled her gloves. She pulled on the leather so hard, the material softly crunched as it stretched. Mao noticed a tiny hole at the tip of the left glove's pinky.

"After this, I'll find you a new pair. Those are practically falling apart!"

Now, Yui was beginning to become suspicious. First, a lunch date, and now new gloves. They were still in pretty good condition. A little needle and some thread would fix the hole; even though it wasn't that begin anyway. Why was she being so nice?

Yui didn't know how to piece it together. She was smart, so she'd been told, but this was the first time she had been utterly stumped into silence. The gears were turning, but unfortunately there wasn't enough oil to grease the wheels to keep them going. The bus seemed to have reached their destination as Mao grabbed her sister's hand and pulled her off the bus, practically dragging her along behind her. They walked half a block, heading towards this diner sitting at the corner of a busy street. Mao couldn't hide the Cheshire cat smile, and it was starting to make Yui nervous. People stopped what they were doing and decided to glance their way. For once, it wasn't just Yui's extremely pale face and out of season accessories that had people looking her way. The fact that Mao was practically dragging her around was more than enough to cause a scene.

"Mao, do you think you could let go? People are starting to stare."

"Oh," Mao woke up from her day dream apparently, "Sorry," and released Yui's hand.

They continued as Yui rubbed her sore wrist. Mao opened the door to the diner for her and she walked right into her sister's trap. Once she entered, the little bell above the door ringing over her head, a pair of green eyes, familiar green eyes, looked her way. There was Shuichi Minamino, who she had just yesterday embarrassed herself in front of, and his friend, who was not familiar. A blush turned all of her face a brand new shade of red. Yui quickly turned about face and reached for the door when Mao's hands grabbed her arm again and started pulling her away from the door.

"Oh, no you don't." Mao pulled. "You're not getting away that easy!"

"You tricked me!"

"It was for your own good. You need to get out more!"

"You still tricked me!"

Most of the diner by now was silently watching the show. Yui didn't, or couldn't, put up much resistance. Mao had two things going for her in this situation, physical strength and willpower. Yui had will but not enough strength.

"You don't want to be rude, do you?"

Yui went limp. "No." She was reluctant to answer knowing that Mao would make her eat lunch with them. Even if she came up with a good excuse, Mao would still have her way.

"Good." She marched her sister to the booth Shuichi and his friend were sitting. Mao smiled. "Hi, Shuichi-kun. And you must be his friend."

"Hey." He gave a slight nod.

Mao pulled her sister forward, but still held onto her arm. "This is my twin sister, Yui. Say hello to…"

"Urameshi, Yusuke Urameshi." He answered.

"Yusuke-kun, say hello to Yusuke-kun, Yui!" She nearly shoved Yui into the booth and scooted next to her.

Yui couldn't help but noticed the very strategic placement. She saw directly in front of Yusuke, and there was no way she could get out unless Mao moved, which wasn't likely to happen. She glanced at her sister, who was blushing just ever so slightly and then remembered what she said the other day, how she like Shuichi. The blush on Yui's face turned brighter, if that was even physically possible. Her eyes were cast down. She knew that it was rude not to even look at her 'date,' but she was so frustrated and mad that she couldn't bare to look at him. Though, he wasn't too bad looking.

There was only a short reprieve when the waitress came to the deliver the menus.

"What can I get you to drink?" She popped her gum like this was a cheesy 1950's American romance/comedy.

"Water for me, please." Shuichi answered.

"Chocolate shake," said Yusuke.

"Sprite."

"Water…please." Yui's answer was barely audible.

"So…uh, you're twins." Yusuke struggled to make up a decent conversation.

Mao nodded her head. "You can't tell sometimes, but Yui and I look almost identical, except her eyes are blue and mine are black. We were confused for each other a lot when we were kids." She gently elbowed her sister in the ribs. "Right, Yui?"

She only nodded, but didn't say anything.

"What do you do for fun, Mao?" Kurama seemed better at this than Yusuke. At least his 'date' contributed to the conversation.

"I play soccer and volleyball. But my sister here," she clapped her hand on Yui's shoulders. "is a figure skater, and she is awesome at it. If only she'd let people watch her…"

"You know why I don't, Mao." Yui whispered.

Her sister frowned, but then smiled again, turning to Yusuke. "She's super smart too. Reads all of these books on architecture. She can name any kind of pillar, arch, and building in the world."

Yui blushed. "I wish you could stop bragging about me."

"Nonsense. If I don't put the word out, you'll never find a man who exists in real life, and not inside your books."

The waitress returned. They ordered, handing over the menus back to the waitress. Their food arrived sooner than expected, but the diner wasn't very busy to begin with. Yui ate quietly, barely making eye contact with Yusuke while her sister and Shuichi hit it off, almost completely ignoring the other two sitting in the booth. Yusuke tried to talk to her, but he couldn't get many answers. Her answers were brief and contained two or three words, four tops. She stuck mainly to yes or no answers before taking another bite out of her veggie burger. She was reaching for her glass of water when Shuichi pointed out the faint scar on the side of Mao's neck.

"Where did you get that?"

Mao touched the scar with her hand, rubbing it. "I honestly don't know. I've had it for as long as I can remember…"

_Crash!_

Chips of ice and water splashed everywhere. Yui's hand was shaking terribly.

"I-I'm sorry. It slipped." She managed to say before she seemed to retreat inside herself.

Mao didn't understand what had happened. The waitress came by, saw the mess, and tried to wipe it up.

"Is everybody okay?" She asked, carefully picking up the pieces of glasses.

"Yeah, we're fine. Just a little accident." Mao explained.

"Let me get you another, on the house, sweetie." The waitress tucked the shards into a napkin and carried them away with her.

"Are you okay, Yui," her sister asked in an uncharacteristic display of concern.

Yui folded her arms across her chest, tightly holding her hands to her arms. Her head was kept downwards, eyes shadowed underneath the bangs of her wig.

"I-I think I want to go home now."

Mao sighed. "Alright." She stood up and Yui scooted her way out.

Her sister tried to follow her, but Yui raised her hands, pushing her back.

"No, no." She said in a soft voice, head slightly raised. "You can stay here and finish your date. I'll walk home. B-by myself."

"Are you sure?" Mao asked.

"I could walk her home, if it'll make you feel better," Yusuke offered.

"No!" Yui somehow managed to raise her voice. Clearing her throat, she said again in a more polite tone. "No thank, I'd really rather just go home by myself. I-I need fresh air."

Before any of them could further protest, Yui fled the scene, many eyes following after her as she sprinted for the door and ran past the windows. She was still clutching her arms while she ran out into the streets.

"What's with her?" Yusuke asked.

Mao sighed as she sat back down. She propped her elbows on the table and began rubbing her temples.

"I don't know anymore. Over the past few years, she's been acting weird." She looked over at Yui's half eaten vegetarian burger. "We used to be best buddies, and now…we barely speak to each other. I don't even remember when it started."


	4. Chapter 4

Kurama held the still frozen piece of glass in his hand. He held it up to the light streaming from behind the curtains, a rainbow of colors filtering along the other side of his bedroom. Without anyone noticing, he snatched a piece of glass and placed it in his pocket. Solid crystals formed all around the smooth surface and when held to a light, created brilliant rainbows. The oddest thing about the broken glass was that it was cold, very cold, frozen even. It weighed almost nothing in his palm, yet had none of the characteristics of glass. By appearances, it looked more like a piece of crystalized rock than a piece of glass. He had a theory, but did not know how to test it, more importantly how would he break it to Koenma, to whom he was obligated to report any findings on demons.

Yui and Mao were completely different sisters, despite the fact that they were twins. Mao was clearly human. Her sister on the other hand was different, special. Kurama might even go on to say that Yui Kagami was more than human. Leaning in his chair, the glass continually held to the shaft of sunlight, created fractals behind him, he tried to think as far back as he could, trying to remember the first time he saw her, Yui that is. Classmates parted like the Red Sea for her and she was the subject of gossip and whispers. Any other girl her age would stand up defiantly. Yui instead chose to sneak into the corner and let them talk. She made herself scarce, invisible, and she was very good at it. Teachers complained that she missed answers on tests on purpose, but a few denials were all that were needed to refute their theory.

She had unnaturally pale skin, easily recognizable in a crowd. Her soft, wintery blue eyes, foreign and exotic in these parts, were often hid behind a film of lens. He had seen her fidget with her hair and it was often that she would pick and scratch at it when she thought no one was looking. He had also caught her fixing it whenever she passed by a mirror or glass window. It wasn't out vanity, he was certain. Then there were her strange leather gloves she wore all the time, even in the late summer days and early fall. She never once took them off. He assumed she took them off to wash her hands once in a while, but he had never seen her in public without them.

Mao was incredibly apprehensive of her sister. It was more than simple sibling rivalry. There was coldness in their relationship. Yui seemed to know something her sister didn't and Mao resented her for it.

It bothered him. Yui Kagami was not normal. The piece of glass in his hand was all the proof he needed.

At the diner, when Mao mentioned the scar on her neck, Kurama sensed a spike in spiritual energy close by. As a matter of fact, it was from right across the table, only it wasn't Mao. He still unsure how she was able to do it, but she must have frozen the glass of water solid. It froze so quickly that the glass could not contain it and burst. He could tell she was lying when she said that it slipped. The incident may have been an accident, but it certainly wasn't from dropping glass on a table.

He glanced at the clock. It was three o'clock on a Sunday afternoon. Perhaps he could get some air and think more clearly afterwards? The four walls were starting to get to him anyway. He left the house, saying good-bye to his mother, who was reading on the couch. She trusted him. There was no reason to lie about where he was going. He would come back before it got dark.

He trudged through the busy streets of the city, brushing against strangers and dodging others. The city was alive, bursting to the brim with people spewing out into the streets from shopping centers and cars. The busy lights, traffic, and the deafening sound of conversations that reached all the way up to the atmosphere were things he had grown used to in the past fifteen years. He walked with the flow of foot traffic, stopping and turning when he pleased. The sun beat down on the pavement as he walked, burning up the back of his head. Still, his thoughts were getting any clearer. There were no significant clues that he could present to Koenma besides a shiny piece of glass. By four o'clock, he sat at a fountain, watching everyone else go by.

He didn't know how long he sat there or if much time had passed at all. While Kurama sat by water fountain, its water cooling the air at his back, a figure rose from the crowd. A white shape carrying a purple duffle bag shifted through the crowd. As more and more people walked out of its path, for a brief moment he thought he saw a familiar face standing in the crowd. In a few short seconds, it was hidden, passers-by hiding it from his view. Immediately, he rose to his feet, but being careful not to look urgent or startled, not wanting to attract attention. He kept calm, stoic even, and made his way across the plaza where he had taken his rest by the bubbling fountain to chase the figure in the crowd. He did more pushing than brushing shoulders as he hunted down the figure. The purple duffle bag became his only clue, the only thing that made her stand out. As he drew nearer, he found that the figure was that of a young woman, but her features were invisible to him. Her back was towards him, face and hands hidden by clothes and the crowd around them. Time and time again, he temporarily lost track of his target, only to find the purple duffle bag again like a big target mark on her back. He didn't know how long he went after her, silently and subtly stalking her, and he had no idea why he was following her in the first place. She had a familiar face, so what? For reasons he could not fully explain, Kurama followed his gut instinct. There was something familiar about her and his curiosity would not be satisfied until he knew who she was.

Then she came to a large building in downtown. Kurama watched her enter the building from afar. He waited several minutes before crossing the streets in order to follow her inside.

_Lady Okasa's Ice Rink_, the sign boldly stated above the glass doors. He stopped at the door, peered inside. The duffle bag was disappearing from view, heading towards the well-lit center of the building, the actual ice rink no doubt. Looking through the glass, Kurama found not another soul. No one was standing at a cash register or anywhere. More to the point, how did she get in?

He took hold of the handle, pried it open, and carefully stepped inside. His keen eyes and ears were pried open, breathing controlled, and steps taken lightly. Banging like doors being flung open echoed from the rink, but he daren't run towards the sound. He continued to walk as slowly as possibly. There was carpeting against his feet, which he was grateful for. The carpet beneath him softened his steps, making it that much easier to sneak in. Looking over his shoulder for other uninvited guests, he saw no one come in after him. The coast was clear. He crept forward only to stop suddenly.

Music drifted down the long corridor leading to the ice rink. He heard it before, from where? It was a soft, but dramatic piece, classical if he wasn't mistaken. He followed it. The closer he drew, the sound became clearer. After a short while, he recognized it as a song from _Swan Lake_. He drew closer and closer to the rink, shielding his eyes from the bright lights.

The rink was a large oval surrounded all sides by bleachers stacked on top of another. Stairs descended downwards towards the rink. A thick wall that must have reached his mid-section was built around the rink to protect skaters and those sitting in the bleachers. Glass walls reached further up, towards the ceiling and these were built on top of the plaster structures already set in place. The music came from a large C.D player, probably set all the way on the highest possible volume setting, sat next to the same purple duffle bag he saw earlier. On the floor, he saw a pair of worn-out tennis shoes. And next to the C.D player was a wig of long black hair. Familiar black hair.

Kurama looked up towards the rink, to find a certain young woman in the middle of rink, eyes closed, deep in concentration. Her movements were graceful, purposeful, and full of drama and artistry. Thin arms moved with the elegance of a swan's wing. Her legs jumped, leapt, danced, and spun as the music seemed to dictate. Her pale face nearly lost in the white ice. Plaited white hair flowed behind her. Without a hair out of place, she danced across the ice like a winter fairy, like she was born beneath a magic mountain. He couldn't help but notice the absolute serenity of her face.

He didn't bother sitting down, but did not move a single step closer. He watched her from a safe distance, not wishing to disturb and frighten her. He watched as she made grand sweeping motions with her arms and jumped in the air, ice trailing from the blades on her skates, circling her ankles. Yui seemed to be in her element.

The song was reaching its climax when she made the mistake of opening her eyes, even just a little. Her gaze glanced over in his direction by mistake. She did not expect someone to be there, watching her. All grace and training seemed to vanish into thin air. Yui panicked, her cheeks flushed. She looked over in his direction, unsure of what to do or what to say. She had become so startled and caught in a frenzy that she failed to see the oncoming glass wall fast approaching. Kurama didn't have time to warn her and she wouldn't have had time to stop even if he did. One of Yui's bright pink cheeks collided with the glass. It would have been comical if it been somebody else in different circumstances. Without thinking, he leaped through the open gate, sliding uneasily across the ice, nearly slipping himself. He somehow made it to her side. By then Yui had slid down the wall and balled herself up on the floor.

"Yui, are you alright?"

She mumbled something; however her arms covered her face. Embarrassment was a natural and expected reaction to the situation. He held out his hand to her. She shook her head.

"Please," he stated more kindly, "let me help you up."

"Don't….me." Her murmur was more audible, but nevertheless still incoherent.

"What?" He leaned in further to listen better.

"Don't come near me!" It was more of a warning than a threat.

"Why not?" He persisted.

Yui slowly raised her head. She fixed her gaze on her gloved hands. He could see small streams of tears running down her face and a bruise from where she ran into the wall.

"Just stay away," Yui whimpered.

She stood up on her own, pushing his arm away. Her arms were folded across her chest like she was trying to warm herself. Kurama could see that her nails were almost digging into her skin even through the fabric of her long-sleeved shirt. He watched her for a few seconds, listening to the sound of her soft cries and the blades cutting solemnly across the ice. He slid after her, more graceful this time.

"You don't need to be afraid. I know what you can do."

Yui paused. "My sister already told you that I figure skate, but I don't like having an audience."

Kurama reached inside his pocket where he kept the piece of frozen glass.

"That's not what I meant."

Whipping around on her skates, her blue eyes flashed with terror as he held out the piece of glass towards her.

"Y-you know?"

The ice rink seemed to grow colder. Yui skated towards him, visibly shaking. Once she was close enough, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. They stood so close to each other, he could see their breaths as foggy mist. Her leather gloves creased as she held onto the fabric of his shirt tighter.

"Don't tell anyone! I'm begging you!" Yui pleaded, more tears flowing down her cheeks, the white in her eyes puffy and red. "Not even my sister knows what I can do. Please, don't tell anyone!"

Kurama grabbed one of her wrists and easily pried it off of his shirt. He opened her palm and placed the glass piece in her palm. Closing her fingers around it, he gave her hand a tight squeeze before releasing it.

"I have no intention of revealing your secret to your sister. It's safe with me."

Yui's other hand let him go. She cradled the glass piece in her hands. Her eyes stared down at it for the longest time. She looked up again, looking at him with such sadness and disbelief that he felt sorry for intruding on her to begin with.

"How can I trust you?" She bit her lower lip until it turned bright red with a droplet of blood.

He stopped himself from answering right away. He was about to say that she didn't really have that much choice. However, he refrained from saying that exactly. If he did, she would only be more afraid of him. He thought for a while, gears turning in his head for just the right answer. Time wasn't on his side. Glancing over at Yui, her face becoming more distraught with each passing second he failed to give her a straight answer, he had to give an honest answer with making it sound like she had no other choice but to believe him.

"Trust is earned. You're not good with opening yourself up to strangers, and I am sorry for that." He bowed his head slightly. "I cannot give you an answer just yet. All that I can say is that you can trust me."

She glanced away; her hands holding the glass piece to her heart. Neither one of them remembered what she said exactly. It would be more easily stated that it was more of a silent resignation than an answer. She nodded and that was all.

That's how it began. Yui's reluctant acceptance. A week went by and they met again at the same rink. He would watch her from a distance, further back in the bleachers. She would grimace towards him, but said nothing from then on. They kept quiet and ignored each other at school, just as they did before. Come the Sunday after that, they met at the rink. Her smile was weak, but it was growing stronger. Strong enough, he believed, that allowed him to move down closer to the rink. The Sundays following afterwards became building blocks. They spent most of the time in the rink watching each other, although he did most of the watching. Four Sundays went by; it had the makings of romantic comedy.

After a month and a half, Yui looked forward to Sunday. It was new and a bit alarming; the butterflies stirred in her stomach and fluttered around. There was something sweet and kind in Shuichi. She wasn't supposed to feel this way about him, knowing that Mao liked him and everything. When they passed in the hallways, their eyes often met for just a moment or so. He would smile and she would smile back before quickly turning away. Suddenly her classmates ceased to exist. She did better on her tests without prompting. She smiled more. She held her head just a little higher and stuttered less. The way she walked had a spring, a youthful gaiety almost. Classmates thought she was drugs or simply had gone insane. She didn't pay any mind to them. She was too busy floating on clouds.

Sunday came once again, rather than meeting at the same place, Kurama went out of his way to meet her half way. They walked and talked. He liked her smile, he admitted. He wanted to see more of it. He held the door open for her when they approached the ice rink. As she was tightening the laces on her skates, he busied himself setting up her sound system. Yui went to the rink and paused at the little gate leading inside. Slowly turning, she held out her hand.

"Join me?" She asked.

"I don't have any skates."

She went back and grabbed his arm, rather boldly and unlike her. She led him to the rink anyway despite his protests. His shoes were entirely inappropriate for ice skating. Yui didn't give him much time to refuse before she waved her hand in the air, fingers towards his feet. He watched as swirls of silver and white snowflakes danced around his ankles. He found himself standing taller than before. Looking down, ice blades were locked firmly to the bottom of his shoes. She smiled. He couldn't refuse now.

"I'll teach you. It's easy." Yui took his hand in her own, guiding him.

He moved slowly behind her. Her hand was cold to touch, but having it there in his own hand felt strange yet oddly comforting . The touch of the leather gloves was so familiar now. Just as her touch and her smile and her blush. She became so comfortable around him that she was no longer conscious about her white hair. He wanted to say something about it, how it glittered in just the right light, but was afraid of sounding cheesy.

Perhaps there was something that wasn't there before.

* * *

Yeah, I couldn't resist going there. I couldn't get myself to write part of this chapter without listening to that song from Beauty and the Beast. I'd like to think it fits well.


	5. Chapter 5

It was Sunday again, Yui thought nervously. She couldn't help but hear her own heart pounding inside her chest. She packed her ice skates, her practice skates that showed their age with wear and tear. The zipper was closed in a hurry. The duffel bag was slung over her shoulder, the weight of the CD player and skates weighing almost nothing. It felt like nothing. Yui noticed had suddenly come to that realization. It must have been a trick on the mind. Nothing changed. Or at least, that's what she told herself. She paused at the mirror. She looked deeply into the reflective blue pools and adjusted her wig. Her cheeks were flush, painted soft pink like budding roses. They were warm to the touch, a new sensation.

A knock at her bedroom door nearly made Yui jump out of her skin. Mao entered, without permission, and regarded her sister.

"Where are you off to?"

"Where I usually go on Sundays, to the ice rink."

"Mom wants to know what time you'll be back."

Yui paused. "I don't know. Probably before dinner."

Mao looked at her, noticed the duffel bag, and seemed to believe Yui. She didn't know why she wouldn't. She wasn't lying. She was going to the ice rink. Yui was only sparing her sister from the fact that she was going to be meeting Shuichi over there. It felt so wrong to hang out with him knowing that Mao had a crush. Maybe she, Yui, felt like she needed to have a little revenge. Though she never felt hatred for her twin, and while she would never intentionally steal a boy away from her, Yui kind of wanted this to happen. Shuichi was the one person outside of their family who she trusted with her secret. Mao would never be able to understand that kind of bond.

At any rate, Yui wasn't romantically involved with Shuichi. Well, maybe. After a while, she couldn't tell anymore.

With Mao being the way she is, she decided it best not to tell her.

"Are you meeting a _boy?_" Mao chuckled.

Yui's cheeks were completely inflamed now.

"No, no! Why, why would you think that?"

Mao laughed again, but not an evil sort of laugh. She was genuinely happy for her sister, which was rare, very rare these days.

"Because you've been _extra_ enthusiastic about your skating lately. I had a feeling you and Yusuke could hit it off. Even after you were clumsy enough to drop that glass at the diner."

Yui could have sighed with relief if her sister hadn't been standing there. For a while, she thought that Mao had found out about her little secret.

"Well," Mao clapped her hand on Yui's shoulder, startling her again, "have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." And with that she left Yui to stand alone in her bedroom.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to join me today?" Yui finished tightening the laces on her skates.

Shuichi sat on the bench, a stack of books next to him.

"I have a few pieces of homework I need to catch up on, but I'll be more than happy to watch. I just don't have time to join in today, but thank you anyway."

Yui couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. There was a tiny pin-prick in her chest. She smiled, despite this, turned up the volume on the CD player, and pressed the PLAY button. At least with this time she would be able to think without looking to find Shuichi's face right in front of her. It was much easier to concentrate with him not as close. She was afraid that he would see her blush.

That was the least of her worries. Yui still worried if her sister was going to find out. Mao was used getting things done her way and whatever she wanted, she usually got. Yui wasn't strong enough to stand on her own. Their mother would have to come in and put an end to the fighting. She wouldn't take either girl's side, but from Mao's perspective it seemed a bit cruel to hang out with a boy your sister liked, and not tell him. Come to think of it, how did Shuichi feel about this? He always seemed so aloof to people outside of his little bubble. Yui didn't know that much about him either. Sure they talked, but rarely about anything outside of school. She only knew of one friend and he didn't even attend high school. Despite how wrong the situation was, Yui wanted to know more about Shuichi Minamino, the mysterious, even-tempered guy that she entrusted with the family secret. Other than him, it was only Yui and her mom who knew about her special abilities. It was kept secret from Mao ever since _that day._

Yui faltered a little in her turns and pivots. Shuichi seemed to notice too. He had raised his head to watch her skate, and noticed how her turns weren't as fluid as before.

"Is there something on your mind?" He asked over the sound of the rising crescendo.

Yui shook her head and answered back, preparing her body for a spin. "No."

Shuichi didn't go back to his books. He put them aside for the moment, and went to the rink. Yui pulled off her spin, hundreds of tiny ice particles flew in the air. However, there was something wrong. She knew it and he knew it. Something was on her mind. She skated to that edge of the rink, one hand gripping her arm as she stared pitifully at the rink.

"Is something wrong? You seem distracted."

Yui tried to find the right words to say. She could feel the heat starting to rise up in her cheeks. A blush was coming on, but she didn't want Shuichi to see it. That would only make her blush even more.

"It's just...it's just that, um, you know about me. A _lot _about me." She chewed on her lower lip. She fought the urge to sink her teeth into her nails. Mom warned her about nail-biting. "But I don't know anything about you, other than the stuff at school. There's not a lot we have in common."

"And does this bother you?" It was hard to tell how he felt or what he meant by that. Yui decided to give him a benefit of a doubt and not take it as an insult.

"I'm entrusting you with my secret, something that I have never told or shown anyone before. Not even my twin sister. I'm not asking you to divulge your entire biography to me, but if I could know even just a little bit about you, I'd feel better about leaving my secret to you."

For the longest time, he didn't say anything in reply. Yui feared that she had scared him off or insulted him. Mao once joked and told her that it might be best to run off and entire a convent. She was beginning to think her sister was right.

"You want to get to know me better?"

Yui's cheeks were flaming now. She didn't dare look up at him. She didn't know, or rather didn't want to know, what his reaction was. Maybe he was just hanging out with her because he felt sorry for her. That must have been it. Why else would a guy like Shuichi Minamino want to hang around a girl like her? A girl that everyone in school makes fun of and talks behind her back. It wouldn't be a surprise if he turned about to be one of those two. Why wouldn't she be? She had known for a very long time that she wasn't like other people and never would be like other people. Yui was content in her fate to being a freak of nature.

"Well, it's very short notice, however," his tone changed from inquisitive to polite, the kind of tone she was used to hearing, that voice that made her quiver deep down, deep, deep, deep down inside her chest. His voice would resonate inside her head and traveled down until it sent her heart into hysterical flutters. "Would you mind joining me this evening with a few friends? For dinner?"

Yui's heart stopped.

"Friends?" That's kind of what she feared.

"Just a few. No more than two or three. Not many, I promise."

Yui made the mistake of looking up. His smile, rich, warm, and inviting, nearly had her falling head over skates. She wanted to crawl under a rock and hide for the rest of her life. Her face must have looked comical, two bright red cheeks on a pale white body. She must have looked like a ripe tomato on a stick. If Shuichi noticed, he didn't mention it or appear to have noticed.

"I-I'd have to call my mom and tell her where I'm going, but I think I can."

"You can borrow my phone if you'd like," he started reaching inside his jacket.

"N-no thank you," she couldn't stop stammering, which didn't help for her situation. Yui climbed out of the rink and reached for her duffel bag. "I-I've got one in here...somewhere."

Yui looked all around the duffel bag but turned up nothing. Other than a sweat towel and a few CD cases, there was nothing else at the bottom of the bag. She rummaged through her jacket and pants pockets. Still, she couldn't find it. Bashfully, she held out her hand.

"I-I can't seem to find my cell phone. I-I guess I'll have to borrow yours after all."

The weight of his cell phone nearly startled her. Yui could kick herself for being so sensitive and weak. She wondered, as she dialed her mom's cell phone, there was no way that she would call the home phone, not if Mao could possibly pick it up, where her cell phone was to begin with.

* * *

"Mao, your sister left her phone on her desk. Could you take it to her please?"

The girl groaned. "I was about to go to the mall with some friends."

"You can give it to her on the way over there."

"But the ice rink she goes to isn't anywhere near the mall."

Mrs. Kagami gave Mao this look, the sort of look all parents use when they have stubborn children.

"I don't care. I don't like the idea of your sister being out without her cell phone."

Mao grumbled something under her breath.

"What was that young lady?"

"Nothing, Mom." Mao marched to her sister's room, and found the thing still sitting on her desk.

_You'd better say thank you later._

"Thank you, sweetie."

"Whatever," Mao mumbled as she started for the stairs and out the door. She put on a pair of sandals and made her way to the bus stop.

While she sat on the bus, she texted her friends to let them know she was going to be late. Emiko implied that Yui must have done it on purpose. Mao almost wanted to believe her. It was a little known fact, well, a dark secret actually that Mao was jealous of Yui. After all, she was the one who got all the attention in school and at home. Mom poured endless amount of affection on Yui simply because she was shy, meek, and sometimes weak-willed. As best as Mao could do with her grades and as hard as she did her best in everything, Yui's well-being was the most important thing. But Mao would never let anyone know that. Yet, at the same time, she couldn't believe that Yui was capable of doing anything wrong. It was not in her nature to be malicious or mean, which was why it was so easy for other people to pick on her. She kind of brought it on herself, actually. Mao replied that she didn't care, and got off the bus across the corner from rink. She wanted to get to the mall as soon as possible. Jumping rather than walking up the stairs, Mao pushed open the doors only to find two voices coming from the darkened corridor leading to the stadium-built ice rink.

One voice definitely belonged to her sister, however the other one was...No, it couldn't be. It couldn't be _him_. Yui was smart enough to know where not to tread. The voices were growing louder, coming closer. Mao looked around her for a place to hide. Yui couldn't have been dumb enough to do what Mao was thinking. She couldn't. She wouldn't. She was far too nice to pull a stunt like this.

Her eyes were dulled by the poor lighting. The only ones were coming from the glass windows and doors, but even those were poor. Her eyes weren't getting used to the shade fast enough. Their voices were getting closer. She couldn't let Shuichi think she was spying on them, at least spying on them without getting caught. Mao edged towards the darker shadows, quickly and quietly. She managed to duck behind a trash can and wait like a lion stalking its prey.

"I don't understand why you're nervous all the time. There is nothing to be afraid of."

It took every fiber of self-control to keep herself from launching like a rocket from behind the trash can and rip through her sister's eye balls. It was Shuichi. Yui was with Shuichi even though she knew how her sister felt about him. She was dating him behind her back! Mao's knuckles tighten in her hands; her nails pricked her palms causing small droplets of blood to flow.

"I-I'm not all good with people. I-I don't get around a lot." Yui sounded frightened. She should be after what she did to Mao.

"Why is that?"

Yui didn't say anything at first. "I-I don't know."

Her trade mark stammering were getting on Mao's nerves. Rather than reveal herself, she kept hidden in the shadows, quietly watching them. They left without ever even noticing Mao, but went on their merry way. When the doors closed behind them, Mao rose from her hiding spot, cheeks flushing. She forgot all about the mall and giving Yui her cell phone. She forgot all about what their mom had told her. She dumped the cell phone into the trash can and bolted for the door. Shuichi and Yui were already gone, disappearing into the crowd or hopped onto another bus. Mao stalked to the nearest bench and sat down, fuming, thinking of ways to get back at her sister. She thought and she silently raged. There had been something that would make her sister pay without their mom knowing about it. It had to be heartbreaking, but not humiliating. Something that would keep Mom out of the loop, but, at the same time, teach Yui a lesson. Then, as her bus slowly rolled to a stop in front of her, Mao finally came up with an idea, a terribly, awful idea. She grabbed the bus, rode it home, and went inside the house. Mom had disappeared to go to work again, leaving Mao to her own evil devices.

She went into Yui's room, throwing the phone unto her bed. Rummaging through the desk drawers, tossing a few things aside, she found what she was looking for. It was an old blue velvet box stuck in the very back of a desk draw, hidden by pencil cases, note cards, and a tiny booklet on German cathedrals. Mao took the box in her greedy hands and slowly opened it. The hinge opened with a creak and she noticed the light layer of dust smothering the pads of her fingers as she opened the box. Sitting on the smooth interior was Yui's most prized possessions, the last thing their father gave her before disappearing. Yui never believed that he abandoned the three of them, but Mao didn't consider herself so naive. The gift was a large medallion, shaped like a dragon. Its white serpentine body coiled around the head, forming a great circle. The artisan paid close attention to detail; definitive scales, carefully carved into the material were rough to the touch like real lizard skin. The dragon's head and front claws greeted the observer with a fierce and even frightening look. The dragon opened wide its mouth, showing of his impressive fangs. In his right claw he held onto a silver pearl and his eyes were of some kind of blue gem stone, sapphires maybe.

Mao took the medallion, chain and all, and replaced the box inside the drawer. She smiled at the weight in her hand. Leaving the room after putting things back where they belonged, Mao pocketed the medallion and tapped on it, smiling to herself. The next thing she did was walk over to the nearest pawn shop. Yui rarely looked at it. She wouldn't know it was missing until Mao told her. She was looking forward to seeing that look of stupefied horror and betrayal on Yui's face. For once, her sister would show some kind of emotion. Mao kept the receipt, just in case.

* * *

Yui sat awkwardly with her hands in her lap. She rarely looked up from her teacup. After several minutes, she found herself staring at her reflection in the murky brown tea. The conversations around her were loud. _These_ were the friends Shuichi hung out with? Yui was kind of expecting ones who weren't so...rambunctious.

The one they called Kuwabara seemed alright enough, a bit dimwitted, but kind and very strong in character. Yusuke, she had already met, but now that she saw more of his character, she found him to be less impressive. He was often loud, rude, and liked to think of himself as a tough guy. He wasn't obnoxious about his masculinity, but he certainly wasn't about to admit he watched chick-flicks for amusement. He seemed a little smarter than Kuwabara, however not by much. Then there was Botan, a strange girl, if Yui said so. Then again, who was Yui to call someone else strange? Botan's blue hair may as well have been dyed while Yui's winter-white locks were with her from birth. She seemed smart, friendly, admittedly bubbly even, yet she was also the kind of woman who could handle her own among these boys.

Then there was the one they called Hiei. He said even less than Yui did and was silently brooding in the corner as if he didn't want to be there in the first place. On occasion, when she bothered to look up from her cup of tea, their eyes met, maybe once or twice. He didn't quite glare at her like at all the others in the room, but there was something about him that told her to keep her distance from him. Yui, much like her mother, was a decent judge of character. The other three were far more compatible. With Hiei, it might be best to steer clear of him.

"What's the matter, Yui?" Botan wrapped her arm around Yui's shoulder like they had been best friends since forever.

Yui winced at the sudden touch of human contact. She tried not to let Botan see it. Carefully, she looked up and turned to her, giving the other girl a soft smile.

"I'm fine, just a little weird right about now." It was miracle that didn't stammer this time. She supposed that she was getting used to their company by now.

"What's to feel weird about? We're all friends here. You couldn't be more strange than this bunch even if you tried." She could tell that she was trying to cheer Yui up, but it wasn't working very well.

Yui turned back to her teacup, and whispered bitterly, "Do you want to bet?"

"Shuichi, you have a very strange taste in women," Botan sighed.

"Yui is very shy person. It took me a month to get even this close to her."

"Can't say much for her sister though."

Yui turned towards Yusuke, frowning.

"I must ask that you don't speak about my sister that way."

Everyone in the room was generally surprised by her reaction. Yui had barely said a word, but the first time her sister is mentioned, she's the first to speak up. The first to speak up in her defense at that, too!

Yusuke lazily leaned on his elbow with a disgusted scowl on his face.

"I mean, no offense, but your sister is not the most pleasant person in the world. She's kind of bossy, not to mention a bit full of herself and snarky."

"I just told you not to talk about my sister like that," the teacup was slammed to the table. "Despite her character flaws, she is still my sister, and I don't appreciate you talking about her like that. So please, stop." Yui took a deep breath before taking up her cup again and took a sip. When she set it down again, it was obvious that she wasn't used to showing off her emotions.

The room was silent. You could hear a pin drop. Yui rose from her seat, briefly excusing herself. She rushed to find the nearest bathroom and hide herself there. She sat on the closed toilet seat, burying her face in her hands. She didn't like being angry. It didn't feel good. Taking her hands away from her face, her fingers still trembled. Yui tried to take some slow, deep breaths to calm herself down. Staying like this for at least ten minutes, she lost track of time without a watch or her cell phone. Once she thought it was okay for her rejoin the others, Yui stood up, left the bathroom, and made her way back to the dining room. But then she stopped just as she heard Shuichi's voice, her hand still remaining on the sliding shoji door.

"You have to give her some credit. If she had no control over it, don't you think she would have frozen half of Japan by now?"

_He didn't..._

"If you call that _control._ One look at her and you can tell she's emotionally crippled," it was Hiei next. "Shoving her hands in a pair of gloves and hiding herself from people isn't called control, Kurama. It's called denial and cowardice."

"And if you had a sister like Yui, you'd hide your powers too." Yusuke spoke next.

"Thankfully, I'm an only child. If I were in that girl's place, I would have turned my sister into an ice sculpture long ago."

"As you can tell, Hiei," Shuichi said, "that isn't an option. And do you really think that Yui is that kind of person? She spoke in her sister's defense despite the fact that Mao, her own _twin_ sister, treats her so poorly. I've seen the way Mao behaves at school and even sometimes in public with her. It's no wonder why Yui is so afraid of her powers."

Yui slammed open the shoji door. They hadn't realized that she had been standing there the whole time. Her blue eyes were burning like hot embers, ears turning red; the only time she ever had any kind of color to her pale, pale face. Those fiery blue eyes shot a nasty look at every single person in the room, glaring at each of them one by one until she stopped at Shuichi. Tears threatened to spill over in each corner of her eyes. Shuichi or Kurama or whatever nickname he went by with his friends sat there looking every bit remorseful.

"Yui let me explain-."

"I trusted you," Yui started. "I _trusted _you with my secret and you went behind my back." There was no point in stopping the tears which quickly fell and just as quickly turned to thin little icicles just as quickly. There was a sickening cracking sound as her salt tears, hot and bitter, suddenly froze as they rolled down her cheeks, only to stop and freeze at random times. She could feel her blood turning colder and colder.

"Yui, I'm sorry." He immediately stood up and tried to approach her.

She shot her arms out and pushed him back.

"It wasn't your secret to tell. I trusted you! I trusted you and you told your friends that I'm a...I'm some kind of circus freak!"

"That's not what they think," his efforts were pretty much useless by now. Yui would have none of it.

"No! You just don't get, do you, Shuichi or whatever your name is here! You just don't get it," she ran her hands through her hair until her black wig slipped and fell to the floor. She tore off the wig cap as well and her white hair tumbled down. "I trusted you with a secret and you betrayed me! What else is there for you to explain! It wasn't your secret. You should have asked me! But you didn't!"

She wrapped her arms around herself, the freezing in her blood becoming too much. Shuichi still tried to get close to her.

"I'm terribly sorry," he sounded like he meant it, but Yui couldn't bring herself to believe him. Was this his plan all along? Get to know her, be her friend, find out her secret just to tell his friends about the freak show that he knows? "It was wrong. But if you'd just listen..."

He took one step too close. Yui shoved him backwards with her hands. Shuichi fell to his back, landing on top of Yusuke, who barely had time to catch him. Two frosty white hand prints were pressed into the front of his shirt. The hand prints on his shirt were cold through and through. It was like he had been touched by a snowman. The cold areas nearly froze him to the bone. Yui stared at him, or rather at his shirt, in horror. She stared at her hands which were now trembling violently.

"Yui," Shuichi said softly.

Her head shot up. Her quivering lips were turning a light shade of blue and he thought he saw mist escaping from between her teeth.

"Don't," she shook her head. "You can't...you mustn't touch me." More tears ran down her face, which meant more icicles scaring up her pretty face. She turned and ran away.

She kept running and running even as she heard voices calling after her. Yui somehow found the nearest exit and ran outside. Her eyes darted this way and that just to find a place to hide. Her blood was growing colder by the second. It was getting out of hand. She had to find a place to isolate herself before she accidently turned somebody into an ice sculpture. Her breath was already turning into mist.

There…across the field. There stood a rickety old shack. To Yui, it was a safe house given by the gods. The voices were closing in on her. Shuichi and his friends weren't far behind. She bolted for the little shed. Her hands, despite the growing cold spreading throughout her body, managed to grab the handle and pry open the door. She slammed it shut behind just at the tiny room, and the door itself, began to freeze. In a matter of minutes, the door was frozen shut and a light dusting of frost was spreading around all around her, covering every nook and cranny. All of the rusty gardening tools and a pile of fire was covered in frost and ice. That's when Shuichi knocked on the door.

"Yui? Are you in there?"

"Go away," she answered.

"I'm sorry. Please come out. You can't stay in there like that. You'll freeze."

"You don't know anything about what will happen to me! I've done this before! I won't die in the cold. The cold doesn't bother me." Her voice dropped to a mere whisper, one that he could barely hear.

"You've done this before?" He must have been distracted by something; his voice whispered to someone else, probably one of his friends. "Do you always do this…when you're angry?"

Yui stopped talking at this point. Another layer of ice covered everything within and without. She just wanted to disappear.

* * *

"This isn't good." Kurama stared at the abandoned shed as the ice covered every inch of it. The door was frozen solid. There was no way they would have been able to move it, not even an inch. This was what Yui must have been so afraid of, losing control of herself.

"If that's the worst thing she can do, I can easily cut through it," Hiei was already beginning to draw his sword of its sheath.

Kurama grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"That's the last thing we want to do. You'd scare her half to death!"

"And I suppose you'd let her starve herself to death by staying in there." He placed the sword back in its place. "If you have a better idea, then go on. If not, the sword."

"As a matter a fact I do," he turned quickly around and reached for his phone. He dialed as fast as his fingers would allow. He waited impatiently for someone to pick up. The other line must have been ringing for a while, an eternity it seemed.

"Kagami residence, Mao speaking." The sister's voice answered.

"Mao, is your mother home?"

"Shuichi, what a surprise! I didn't expect you to call!" She completely ignored his question.

"Mao, I need to speak with your mother. Is she home?"

"My mom?" Mao sounded puzzled. "No, I think she's still at work. I can give you her number, but what's this about?"

"I'll tell you later, just give me her number."

"Alright, alright…"

Mao ran off the phone number to him. He didn't need a pen and paper. As soon as he remembered, he gave Mao a short thank and hung up. He was sure he left her confused and even a bit miffed, but there was no time to worry about her feelings. He'd deal with that later. Yui's uncontrollable power was a more pressing issue than the hissy fit her sister might throw the next time she saw him at school. He distinctly remembered that Yui had said that she and her mother were the only ones knew about her abilities, inside their family. If there was one person who might know how to draw Yui out of the shack it would be her mother.

"You've reached Yoshiro Tech Incorporated. This is Yuki Kagami. How can I help you?"

"Hello, I'm Shuichi Minamino. I go to Meiou with your daughters."

"Oh, yeah. Mao's been talking about you a lot. What can I do for you?"

He hated to be the bearer of bad news, however… One glance over his shoulder made him wince. There was no chance they would be able to get Yui to thaw out the shack by themselves and Hiei's sword was out of the question.

"It's actually about your other daughter, Yui."

The phone went silent for a while. "Give me a second." He heard her place the phone on its side, and then she walked away and shut a door somewhere. Mrs. Kagami took a deep breath before picking up the phone again.

"Is there something wrong with Yui? Is she hurt?"

"No, it's just…I don't know how to put this."

"Did she hurt someone?" Her mother's voice was becoming frightened and more anxious by the second. He might as well come out and tell her the truth.

"I know about Yui's power…and now she's locked herself up. We don't know how to get her out."

"We?" She sounded as if all of her worst nightmares had come true.

"Yes, my friends know. But I assure you we mean no harm—"

"Give me the address," Mrs. Kagami interrupted him. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

* * *

It seemed hours before she arrived. She sprinted up the huge temple steps, in high heels no less. They had to give her credit for that. Mrs. Kagami wasn't quite what they expected her to be. She was a woman of medium height, but still seemed threatening in every way. She had an aura about her, a domineering aura. She appeared to be the kind of woman who liked to get her way and anybody who opposed her would be shot down. Mao clearly got her looks from her mother. It was obvious that Yui inherited nothing from her mother except the shape of her eyes. Mrs. Kagami had rich black hair tied into a pony-tail, a couple of pens tucked away like hair sticks in her pony-tail. Her sharp dark eyes glared at anything that moved. They led her to the field and she suddenly stopped when her eyes rested on the old shack. By now it looked more like an ice cube than a shed.

"How did this happen?" Her voice nearly shuddered. "It's never been this bad before. What went wrong?"

Nobody had time to answer her. Mrs. Kagami bolted for the shed; she knocked on the door, but who knew if Yui was able to hear a thing.

"Yui, Yui sweetie. It's me. Why don't you thaw the door, Yui? Let me take you home. Can you do that for me? Can you open the door for your mom?" Mrs. Kagami was on the brink of tears when didn't reply back.

"Yui, please!" She begged, tears coming out the corner of her eyes. "Just let me in. I just want to take you home. I'll take you home and make you a cup of tea. Your favorite, chamomile with honey and vanilla. Please, thaw the door for me, sweetie."

Her words must have gotten through to Yui. The ice began to thaw at an incredible rate. As soon as the last patch of ice melted, Mrs. Kagami was able to open the door at last. She found Yui tucked away in the corner, hugging her knees to her chest. The icicles under her eyes hadn't completely melted yet. She knelt in of Yui, trying to smile. But it was so hard to smile when you see your child in pain and terrified. She had to do her best. Yui needed to be home right now.

"Come here, sweetie. Everything is going to be just fine. Why don't we go home?"

Yui said nothing, only nodding her head slowly. She hesitantly took her mother's hand and her head was cradled next to her warm heart. They left the shed behind. Kurama saw that they made it to Mrs. Kagami's car alright. Yui slid into the back seat, lying down.

Her face. Kurama couldn't get that awful picture out of his head. She looked so sad and alone. She had every right to be angry. She was right that it wasn't his secret tell.

"Take a good look at your handiwork, young man. That's the face of a young woman who didn't need your crap flung into her face. And that young woman happens to be my daughter!" Mrs. Kagami let her rage be known. If she could, she'd scream it on top of a mountain so people could hear it from miles around. However, for now, she could make do with having Kurama as a captive audience.

"Mrs. Kagami," he started but never could finish.

"Don't start with me, boy," her black eyes looked like the eyes of a bird of prey. With her manicured nails, she could very easily claw his eyes out too. "Yui, for some reason, trusted you enough to keep her secret. I don't know what you did to her or how she let you know about her powers, but you best forget about it and her! You are going to stay far away from her. Do you understand me?"

He didn't know why it stung, but it did.

"Yes, ma'am."

Mrs. Kagami continued to glare at him even as she got into her car. She rolled down her window and started the car.

"I don't want to see you going near Yui, or Mao for that matter. Don't come near my family or you'll regret it." She hissed, almost spitting with rage.

The window was rolled up. Her seatbelt was drawn across her waist. She shifted into driving gears. Kurama stood there, dumb as a rock, until the red taillights disappeared into the night.

Why did it sting so much?


End file.
